


A Year End's Ball

by noclouds



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Communication, Fluff and Angst, Gen, One Shot, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 04:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11074389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noclouds/pseuds/noclouds
Summary: The night was already almost over after four hours of nonstop dancing. It almost seemed weird that time decided to slow down as their night started to come to an end. Since the beginning of the year, all seniors had counted seconds and moments until this very day. It had gone by so fast. But for John Laurens, if he's able to get even a single snapshot of what this all felt like, he'd be happy with just that.





	A Year End's Ball

**Author's Note:**

> So, instead of getting ready for my OWN Prom which starts in... 5 hours, I decided to sit down and write. I'm no stranger to AO3 but this is the first I'm posting on my brand new account, so I really hope you all enjoy our own snapshot into the night that's supposed to be the greatest. 
> 
> There's a small reference in here to another broadway show in the form of a character. Your hint: "When the booth goes bright."

The night was already almost over after four hours of nonstop dancing and adequate free food. There was an odd sensation that settled in the room, that as the night came to a close that time itself slowed down. Since the beginning of the year, all seniors had counted down to the very seconds until this day and it seemed to go by so fast. It's easy to think that adults are talking out of their asses when they say that high school goes by in a blink of an eye, but the reality of that statement never hit Alex until that moment. 

After Prom, it would only be two weeks before graduation and when everyone would go their separate ways to live their own lives. For once in his admittedly short life, Alexander Hamilton was content to sit still and rest for a moment.

John Adams may be a stupid ass class president who'd done exactly zero for the student body, but it was his idea to have an alcohol-free bar and it was arguably the only good idea ever to leave his face. Alex’s table was littered with empty glasses, abandoned ties and corsages. Good natured arguments had sprung up around him, debating on whether or not the Piña Colada or the Strawberry Daiquiri was the superior drink but every time someone refilled their glass the opinion changed. Which was why he was currently nursing a Shirley Temple in a half hearted attempt to give his abused stomach a break.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Alex turned his eyes towards the dance floor to find and watch his friends. The night's Prom King and Queen, Lafayette and Adrienne were striking an impressive image as they danced together and further cemented their reputation as the school's power couple. Their election had been practically unanimous, though quite a few people were a little bitter. Alex cut a rather smug glance to Charles Lee in particular, who was of the opinion that the vote was rigged. Lee had always been jealous of Laf; but even Alex had to admit that the Frenchman's ability to keep everyone's attention was enviable. Besides, everyone knew it was _much_ cuter when the King and Queen were actually dating. When the stunning couple made their way past Alex again, he raised his hands to whoop in Laf’s direction as he spun Adrienne around once more. The song was fast paced, but somehow they made their French waltz fit – even if Lafayette stumbled over his feet a little.

A swish of pale blue skirts caught his eye and Alex found himself looking over to where Eliza was dancing with her sisters and, not for the first time, he found that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

They hadn't been dating for very long, only for the past few weeks, and every day was amazing. Every late night text or quiet study session, their edges seemed to fit perfectly together in the weird puzzle that is high school. And she was gorgeous, both in her looks and her mind. He watched and smiled as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, laughing as Peggy broke from their circle to break it down. 

Angelica and Peggy were like sisters to him already. Peggy had threatened him many times, promising that if he had ever hurt her older sister both she and Angelica would break into his house and make his life a living hell. He didn’t doubt either one of them for a second. The Schuyler sisters were all terrifying when they needed to be. He often had to remind himself that he had seen Angelica break a boy’s arm for catcalling her in the hallway. And Eliza may had thrown in a punch. Thank god Peggy was at lunch or else that would have gone much, much worse.

“Hey Alex, how’s the night going for you?”

He felt the air beside him shift and turned to meet his best friend’s freckled face. John was grinning, maybe a mix of glee and the small bit of vodka he managed to sneak in. John had brought one of his childhood friends, Martha Manning, but he hadn’t seen them together yet. 

“It’s great, I just needed a moment to catch my breath.” He smiled back towards his friend, his hand reaching out to lay on John’s shoulder. They had this “thing”, where they always gravitated to one another. Where Eliza curved out his rough edges, John made them light up and could meet Alex’s own fighting spirit. Since his arrival at their high school, sophomore year, he and John were inseparable.

“I get you. Besides, there’s only so many photos you can take before the photo booth guy knows your name and tells you to scram.”

“Wait what?” Alex asked, eyebrow raised at his friend’s weird statement.

John smirked and reached into his pants’ pocket to pull out numerous strips of photos. There were ones with him and Hercules wearing oversized sunglasses and tacky beach signs, ones with him and Lafayette and Adrienne hugging, one with Peggy back to back… There were so many that covered each of he and his friends personalities. John liked photos, because he was always scared of missing something.

“Dude, these are great. We still gotta take one, lemme finish my drink though.”

“Nah, don’t worry. Nino says that he’ll let me take more when he’s cleaning up after Prom.”

Alex stared at him. “You got his name?”

John scoffed and nodded, carefully placing the photos into a cliche drawstring bag. “I mean, yeah. That way it’s not that weird.”

They laughed, chairs somehow shifting closer together and they quieted down. Their table was near the back of the room, perfect to watch everyone and take note of the jerks that treated their date like a purse or the couples that were too shy to make their relationship a big giant spotlight on the dance floor. Together they watched the crowd pull and shift with the music. As the last song came to an end, a slower one came on. The MC had announced this would be the last for the evening and Eliza and him had danced prior. She wanted this last moment to be with her and her sisters before they all went off to college.

“I’m going to marry her,” Alex said, quietly, eyes peeled on his girlfriend.

John stayed quiet at the sudden confession, shoulders going stiff and he let his hand drop from Alex’s. It wasn’t right, he couldn’t do this now when his date was practically missing and his best friend had one of the most amazing women in their high school. He couldn’t.

“She is beautiful…” He would never lie. Eliza was a perfect match for his friend. She was smart and funny and passionate and fought for the same things their whole friend group did. They all marched together down the streets of Washington DC the weekend after the inauguration. They all took a bus to a participate in a LGBTQ Forum that was happening in Jersey. All of them were fighters and world-changers, and John, Alex and Eliza followed by her sisters were right up there in front.

“John, you’re my best friend. And, even in her gaze, I could never stop myself from being with you. Don’t be jealous, please… There’s only so much she knows and with you, well, you know everything about me.”

From Alexander Hamilton, that was his own type of proposal. And John held onto every single word like it was a hymn from church, and he would pray like his life depended on those words. Perhaps, it did.

The song died soon enough and Eliza came bouncing over to their table, still in her heels, and sat beside them. She was a little out of breath and reached for a sip of Alex’s Shirley Temple.

“John! There you are! I heard that Martha was outside waiting for you.” She told him, neatly trimmed fingers tapping against the glass. Alex turned and smiled at her, his attention already completely reguided.

He shrugged in return. “Martha isn’t waiting for me, trust me.”

John didn’t tell them how he was forced to bring Martha as his date. Or how after Graduation instead of joining them in New York, he would be traveling down to South Carolina. He didn’t even tell Alex, because if they talked about it, it would be true. And the last thing John Laurens wanted to do, was leave. But he couldn’t stop thinking about maybe it was about time he was gone anyway.

“Oh! John!” Alexander bounced up, turning back to him with a smile full of glee. “We gotta take out photo. I don’t want to wait until that guy is cleaning up, it wastes the magic.” John breathlessly followed as his friend dragged him towards the photo booth.

If photos were a captured moment, a small segment of captured time, he would want it to be here. Before anything had changed with all his friends. And Alex wanted the same thing, to remember how he and John are, not were, not will, but are. The present is fleeting and there’s no sense in wondering what tomorrow brings because everyday is a gift, and a mystery.

Both of them took home two different photos of the two of them that evening. One where they both decided to make the silliest face the could and try to get the other to laugh.

And the other, arms wrapped around each other, bodies leaning in. And their smiles were a reminder of who they are and what they stood for; a beacon of light.

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone catch the reference? It's from Amelie! You can listen to the song from the musical that Nino, a young man passionate about his album of broken photos from photo booths, right here >>>  
> https://youtu.be/Q2K6zCO8Dd0 <<<
> 
> Please let me know what you think! Any comments are greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Tumblr - pequenoleon


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